Staff

Tamrac’s Aero Speed Pack 85 is said to be the perfect carrying solution for the photographer who prefers the comfort of a backpack, but doesn’t want to sacrifice the ability to quickly access photo gear. To allow for this, Tamrac developed an innovative Dual Access System. This unique system allows fast access through a side door when the pack is worn over one shoulder and brought around to the front of the body as well as traditional access to equipment through the front panel when the pack is removed.

During a recent photo shoot getaway at Joshua Tree National Park, my primary vision was a foreground filled with a Joshua tree and the background would consist of a large rock formation with star trails circling the scene.

While driving up to higher elevation searching for the perfect scene, it became evident that it had recently snowed and I spotted this snowman that a mother and her two young sons were just completing. I stopped for a while and enjoyed making a few images of the snowman and as I was walking back to my vehicle it dawned on me that this rare desert snowman would make a great subject for my star trail image.

Our Picture This! assignment this month was Alphabet Soup, and we asked readers to go on a kind of letter treasure hunt and find either actual mixes of letters or naturally occurring forms that made the shape of letters. Some readers responded with literal, if you will, images and others found forms and shapes in nature and architecture and even sculpture that filled the bill. This is what you could call a “frame of mind” assignment, where once you begin to seek a particular form or shape you almost can’t help seeing that form around you.

On The Cover
This month’s issue features the latest on new cameras seen at the CES show, including the latest in “connected” cameras and a novel take on 3D shooting. We also have reports on some new film and film cameras, as well as a new test on a production model Canon EOS-1D X (our lab test on www.shutterbug.com was on a preproduction sample). Inside you’ll also find news on some accessories that may just catch your eye, plus a revealing look at the fine art photography market.

On The Cover
This month’s issue features the work of a number of photographers who have created their own personal projects and applied great energy, effort, and skill to them. The owl photo is by David FitzSimmons from his Curious Critters book. We also kick off our US trade show coverage this month by highlighting the battle of the D-SLR titans and their new flagship cameras, plus continue our Image Tech series with a lab review of two fascinating mirrorless cameras.

Our Picture This! assignment this month was “Architecture/Composition,” and we were seeking compositions that created an abstract from the entire form. These details often echo the overall design sense of the building itself, but also create an interesting composition in their own right. Readers sent in a wide variety of images that honed in on the play of shadow and light in building interiors and exteriors, with quite a few more than usual in black and white.

AsukaBook USA announces a new album choice, a new book size available in all lines and faster turnaround time on orders for professional photographers and designers looking to offer their clients high quality products and faster than ever service. AsukaBook USA, a division of Kubota Photo Design Inc., now has a total of six different book lines available from which to choose.

Our Picture This! assignment this month was “At the Flea Market.” The amazing diversity of material found at flea markets and antique malls is grist for a photographer’s mill. Not only are there odd and unusual items aplenty—from castoffs to treasures unknown—there’s also the element of the yet-undiscovered art directors, the dealers and vendors who arrange these items in sometimes random, sometimes ironically intentional ways. When photographers talk about capturing “found art” they needn’t go farther than their local flea market to find all they need.

The Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art at the University of Florida will present an exhibition that reflects a transformative moment in photographic history during the tumultuous interwar years. On view from October 9, 2012 through January 6, 2013, The Modern Impulse: Photography from Europe and America Between the Wars will explore how the newly portable 35mm camera was celebrated as an instrument of poetry, analysis, and social change. Covering the years between 1918 and 1945, the exhibition will highlight over 40 artists who expanded the new medium and changed the way we perceive the world. Celebrating technology while embracing spontaneity and improvisation, these artists captured the spirit, vitality, and invention of a new age.

On The Cover
In this issue we feature our annual Top Products of the Year awards, with categories ranging from cameras to lenses to bags to apps, and more. Shutterbug is the sole US member of TIPA, the worldwide Technical Image Press Association, and we’re proud to be part of the nomination and selection process. We’re also adding a host of product tests, including a special surprise, a silver printing out paper that will open new doors for pinhole, photogram, and street camera shooters.